Just yesterday my 11 year old son asked me what my favorite cartoon was when I was a kid. I immediately replied, "MR. MAGGOO". I bought a video tape with several of the old episodes on it, and I must say it has aged very poorly. It was terrible. The references WERE always more obscure than those made by Bugs and the WB gang. Well, Maggoo was an old man so naturally a lot of the references he made were dated even at that time, but now most of those references are lost in time.

My next favorite is THE PINK PANTHER.

My very favorite single episode of any cartoon ever was a neat thing Warner Bros. did. It was an animated feature featuring insects. I haven't seen it since I was kid but I remember it being a special treat for me every time I saw it. I don't think there was any dialogue or narration, just ants and bees and other insects marching and dancing and moving along to the music. I think it was inspired by the Busby Berkely choreograghy in those old musicals like FOOTLIGHT PARADE. Sound familiar to anyone?

By today's standards, Mr. Magoo is way politically incorrect. We used to watch it, but my grandma saw no humor in it, being legally blind. "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," the first animated Christmas special, is a treasured classic, leading the way for the Grinch and many more. A new take on an old tale, a fine adaptation with great music "and razzleberry dressing."

Fun music in that one. "The Winter Was Warm" rates as a pretty good ballad as does "I'm All Alone In The World"; but our favourite was the one the undertaker, laundress, and housekeeper sang, "...La, la, la-la-la-la-la, we're just blankety-blank-blank all bad!"

Razzleberry dressing, indeed.

Ever hear the radio drama �Sorry, Wrong Number� with Agnes Moorhead? She did it a number of times for �Suspense�. In at least one, at the end when the police are on the other end of the phone line asking if everything is all right, the person who picks up the phone and says, �Sorry, wrong number�, is Hans Conreid.

And Edward Everett Horton�the last thing I ever saw him do was an episode of �The Governor and JJ�. The Governor had to prove his place of birth and Horton was the doctor who delivered him. When Horton realized this, he slapped both his hands.

"What an innnnteresting hairdo for a monster"

Not the proper thread for this probably but earlier we were talking about cartoons. For those interested or who may have young children, there are NEW episodes of Gerald McBoing Boing being aired on the Cartoon Network at 9:30 AM, EST. I loved what I saw.

Ah, Gerald...glad he's still with us.
Alas, poor Winky-dink! I drew him, Horatio!

"Sorry, Wrong Number" was very intense, as was "The Hitch-hiker". There should be required college classes in Orson Welles!
Agnes Moorehead did an incredible solo performance without any lines (!) on "Twilight Zone", too, remember?

Grassy, there's a DVD called "The Busby Berkeley Collection" which includes "Footlight Parade". According to one review, "...In the �Honeymoon Hotel� number, there's a great bonus on the disc: a cartoon version of the same number,...with insects..." Worth checking out?

Let me just finish up with the quicker-picker-upper here�oops, missed a spot�okay, there, all set.-- Oh, God! I should start transcribing this stuff.

�The Hitchhiker� was also a Twilight Zone and the Orson Welles radio version was outstanding.

Incredible is an understatement for Agnes Moorhead, especially the Twilight Zone episode you mentioned. She was a wonderful solo performer. Imagine holding your interest as long as she did with no dialog.

"In the 'Honeymoon Hotel' number, there's a great bonus on the disc: a cartoon version of the same number,...with insects... Worth checking out?"

WOW! You found it! Thank you, and yes, certainly worth checking out. I hope it doesn't turn out to be one of those cases where things are remembered as being better than they actually are.

What a trip. I can't believe this.

Grassy, I really hope that's it. There were lots of cartoons in those days featuring animals, bugs, flowers, etc. In fact, Disney's "Flowers and Trees" (a Silly Symphony) was the first animated short to win an Academy Award.

That must be it! I'm almost certain. I know it was done by Warner Bros. and was certainly Berkeley-esque.

Chap, wasn't it Agnes whose likeness it was in the portrait of Carlotta in "Vertigo"?

What a revelation if that�s so. I�ve read studies of that film and never once has that come up. My little grey cells are bubbling now and I am nowhere near a VCR. By the way, that film�s score may be Herrmann�s best.

**
Have you ever seen the film �Obsession� by Brian De Palma?

[This message has been edited by Chapter 31 (edited 04-26-2006).]